"Anyway, do you have any idea how he might pass this test, High-Ranking Guide?" asked the Princess of Zahard, lowering her gaze to the small man at her side, one hand resting nonchalantly on her hip.
Evan did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the silhouette of the Irregular, already standing before the cage saturated with condensed Shinsu.
"Even if his physical abilities seem below average…" he finally said in a solemn, thoughtful tone, "given his chaotic, unfathomable aura in the surrounding Shinsu, I believe he could have managed by sheer hand strength alone, had he only faced a single White Steel Eel."
He paused, then added more gravely:
"But against a starving pack… his chances diminish. The Black March is an asset, of course, but in my eyes, it's still fifty-fifty."
"One chance out of two?" Yuri repeated without the slightest hint of surprise. "I feel like you're overestimating this kid a little too much," she added, shrugging casually.
Her words slid off Evan, who did not take his eyes off the Irregular for an instant.
Yuri hadn't seen what he had glimpsed; she couldn't grasp just how… baffling this boy was.
So absurd it was impossible to measure his depth.
Perhaps he seemed to exaggerate, as the Princess had implied. Yet Evan was convinced—Baam truly had a chance, perhaps even more than what he had just said.
But the paradox remained: he did not know how.
A cruel irony. Guides existed to see the paths and reveal them to those able to walk them. That was their role, their very reason for being.
And yet, the boy's paths remained obscure to his eyes, hidden behind an impenetrable veil… as if the Tower itself refused to let him glimpse its future.
That was precisely why Evan felt a certain fear toward this boy.
Because no one could predict him.
Will he dodge the eels and aim directly for the ball? he wondered, his breath suspended in anticipation. Or will he choose to confront them head-on?
Only he held the answer.
And Evan, who normally prided himself on his guiding gifts, now found himself reduced to a mere spectator, powerless before the anomaly that was the Irregular.
.
.
.
Baam advanced with steady steps, the black, onyx-like needle clenched in his hand, indifferent to the murmurs of the duo behind him. Nothing seemed to reach him; his mind remained absorbed, caught between the strangeness of the Black March's replica granted by the System and the trial he was about to face.
Reaching the cage, he came to a halt. His gaze hardened, and at once, he activated his Shinsu Reading.
The world changed. Before him, the compact flow of Shinsu came alive like a raging ocean. Currents clashed in colossal waves, twisting and breaking in turmoil invisible to the naked eye, yet bursting vividly into his perception.
At the heart of those shifting waters, he saw them.
Five massive creatures—the White Steel Eels—writhed within the unseen torrent. Their long, sinuous bodies drifted with the waves or bent them to their will, sovereigns of a territory they ruled unchallenged.
But the instant they sensed his presence, their movements shifted. Their eyes, gleaming with predatory hunger, locked onto him.
A heavy silence seemed to descend, as though the very Shinsu around them was holding its breath.
They waited.
Ready to pounce on the intruder at the slightest misstep.
To witness creatures as strange and majestic as these giant eels was enough to awe a young man who had grown up in a world without magic or fantasy.
Yet Baam quickly regained composure. These Shinheuh weren't even exceptional within the Tower; he would encounter far more terrifying and wondrous beings throughout his climb.
The moment he stepped past the cage's threshold, an immense pressure crashed down upon him. The sensation was brutal, as though his body had been hurled into the depths of an ocean. It was a stifling, alien experience, one where every fiber of his being should have yielded under the crushing density of Shinsu.
But against all expectations, no pain came. No resistance, no hindrance.
Baam walked with calm, almost natural steps, despite the invisible tide that should have crushed him.
He had the uncanny impression of breathing underwater, his lungs filled with waves that did not suffocate him. Everything was paradoxical: it was neither uncomfortable nor painful.
Simply… strange.
Strange, yet logical.
This body was not that of an ordinary being. Baam's innate resistance to Shinsu made him an intruder immune, unaffected by energy-saturated environments. No matter the density that would have shattered other fighters, he moved as though strolling through a park.
And the more the pressure rose, the stronger his power grew.
He was a living paradox.
He clenched his fist, watching the tension of his muscles vibrate under the influence of Shinsu. A new conviction lit his gaze.
I'm growing stronger in this place… Where others would suffocate, I'm set free. And with the Attribute of the God of Shinsu, my potential becomes even more excessive than it ever could have been.
Inside that oppressive cage, Baam no longer felt like prey.
He felt like the master.
Suddenly, a series of notifications appeared before his eyes, casting a pale glow across the surroundings. Baam instinctively lifted his gaze toward the words displayed.
[ The Host has entered the Main Quest zone! ]
[ Main Objective: Destroy the ball (0/1) ]
[ Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (0/5) ]
[ Time Limit: 5 minutes ]
[ Quest — The Ball — begins! ]
A countdown started immediately.
[ 5:00 ]
[ 4:59 ]
Time had begun to shift, every second resonating like a muted heartbeat in his mind.
At that instant, before he could even fully assess the situation, a deafening roar split the air.
Baam raised his eyes and saw one of the colossal creatures launch into the sky. The eel, so massive it eclipsed everything he had ever seen, sliced through the air with terrifying speed for a beast of its size.
His eyes remained strangely calm. In a flash, his body vanished from its initial position, darting forward at inhuman speed.
BOOM.
The creature slammed into the ground with devastating force, opening a gaping chasm at the very spot where Baam had stood a second earlier. The boy's frail silhouette was gone, replaced by a chaos of dust and debris.
"Tsk… you know it's cheating to attack by surprise, right?" he muttered in an annoyed tone, his voice echoing inside the cage.
The eel, startled, reared back and fixed its fierce gaze on its prey, now far from the impact zone.
Baam stood about fifty meters away, his feet leaving a smoldering trail behind him. He leaned slightly on the Black March planted into the ground, not from exhaustion but to steady himself after the brutal burst of momentum that had nearly toppled him.
He hadn't yet mastered this colossal strength—too sudden, too overwhelming. Like an inexperienced driver thrown into a Formula 1 car after only ever handling modest vehicles.
I almost faceplanted like a clown… especially with all those people watching me, he thought with a tense, humorless smile. I really need to learn how to regulate this physical power. And the worst part is… I didn't even use Shinsu to reinforce my body.
A brief, ironic spark crossed his mind.
This Attribute… it's way too broken.
In an instant, his gaze swept across the entire cage.
It was a titanic space, vast enough to swallow several football fields, and deep enough to contain those gargantuan monsters, each as long as a train.
Baam turned his eyes to the translucent System window.
[ 4:45 ]
Then his attention shifted to the true target of the test: the ball.
It floated at the center of the cage, surrounded by the eels that guarded it. The black sphere lay exactly two hundred and four meters away. A distance he knew he could cross in a fraction of a second—if he chose to take things seriously.
But he wasn't in a rush. The ball could wait. What he wanted was everything: the main reward, but also the side rewards. Taking down the eels was just as important.
And as if in answer to his thoughts, one of them—until now lurking in the back—lost its patience. Its enormous fins cracked the air with a thunderous clap, and in a sudden burst, it hurled itself straight toward him.
[ 4:38 ]
The beast's shadow spanned fifty meters wide, swallowing nearly the entire ground beneath it. It skimmed across the surface with ruthless precision, as if to ensure he'd have no escape this time.
Baam, however, remained motionless. His features stayed calm, though a flicker of irritation darkened his face.
"Seriously? Don't you see I'm tiny compared to you? How could I possibly feed you all, honestly?" he said with a mix of confusion and irony.
But this was no time to dwell on such details.
As soon as the eel reached the fatal distance—less than five meters—it lunged, its monstrous jaws snapping open. Rows of razor-sharp fangs closed in with a deadly crunch.
Then, everything shifted.
Instead of dodging, Baam chose to confront it head-on. His body tensed, and he abruptly raised his right leg. Like a divine scythe, his foot cleaved through the Shinsu-saturated air.
BAM!
The strike landed squarely on the creature's head. Its scales cracked, shattering like stone struck by a hammer. The eel's skull split apart, bursting into a nauseating spray of blood and gore. The shockwave rippled throughout the cage: the dense Shinsu vibrated, undulating like a lake struck by a stone, while the ground itself fractured under the blast.
The Shinheuh's lifeless body crashed heavily to the floor, utterly devoid of strength.
A heavy silence fell. Only the grotesque sound of crushed flesh and blood spattering down like tainted rain lingered in the air.
[ Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (1/5) ]
[ 4:29 ]
Baam paid no attention to the System notifications. His leg, still suspended in the air, trembled slightly as he lowered it with care. His eyes, widened, reflected his own astonishment, as though he couldn't believe what he had just done.
Damn! And I was holding back… What the hell was that strike from hell?! he thought, torn between awe and disbelief. Is it the condensed Shinsu buff around me that's giving me this much power?
A smile, almost cocky, tugged at his lips.
So… this is what it feels like to be an overpowered protagonist? he mused, a new warmth swelling in his chest. I've got to admit… it's insanely satisfying.
But a deafening roar suddenly yanked him back down to reality.
"BAAM!! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!!" screamed the brazen princess from outside the cage. Her voice, shattering the silence, vibrated with a mix of shock and disbelief at this unprecedented display of strength from a boy with such a frail body.
Just seconds earlier, she had worriedly wondered what he was planning, standing so still in the path of the Shinheuh's charge. The next instant, she had seen him pulverize the eel's head as if crushing nothing more than a watermelon.
How can such a scrawny body generate that kind of raw power?!
Even she, back when she had only been a Regular, had never come close to such a feat—despite the fact that Zahard's Princesses were renowned for their extraordinary physical strength.
"Evan!" she cried, nearly shaking her Guide as she turned to him. "Didn't you say his physical abilities were below average?! Then explain to me how he just smashed that beast to bits without the slightest Shinsu Reinforcement, as if it were nothing but a piñata?!"
Yuri shook the small man's shoulders frantically, while he looked just as bewildered as she did.
"C-Calm yourself, Lady Yuri!" stammered Evan, his voice trembling. "How could I have guessed that behind his childlike frame lay such monstrous physical power?!"
He had considered many scenarios… but never this one.
That he might defeat an eel, perhaps. But so overwhelmingly, without even using Shinsu or the Black March?!
A cold shiver ran down Evan's spine as he realized they had made a fatal mistake: they had underestimated this Irregular.
Even the Guardian of the First Floor, Headon—until now lingering in the background—seemed to show a sudden interest in the scene.
At the center of all this commotion, 25th Baam gave a naïve smile and shrugged.
"I'm just built different," he said, a hint of pride coloring his voice.
At that moment, he sensed a disturbance behind him. The flow of waves wavered, betraying the assault of two eels rushing at him with furious speed. Their rage was unrestrained—the death of their companion had not instilled fear, but rather ignited frenzy.
Perfect. The more they hurled themselves at him, the faster it would all be over.
Baam had already deactivated his Shinsu Reading. Not only did he prefer to avoid directly crossing Headon's sight—one spark of that gaze could be enough to reduce him into a shapeless mass of flesh—but also, he didn't need that ability for a battle of this level.
Prediction could be left to his instincts. His natural senses, sharpened like a blade, picked up every ripple of the waves, reading in their disorder the trajectories of his foes.
Whooosh!
The two eels lunged like locomotives at full speed, their gaping maws screaming in a piercing unison.
Then—
BOOM!
The impact shook the entire cage. The ground exploded under the violence of their charge, leaving a gaping crater… but only stone had been struck. Their target had already vanished.
Baam soared into the air, right behind one of the marine titans. Stunned by their own collision, the two creatures hadn't noticed his maneuver.
He tightened his grip on the dark handle of the Black March. The needle spun between his fingers at a dizzying speed, stirring real currents of Shinsu.
A moment later, his arm cut through the air in a sweeping motion.
Whooooshhh!!
An arc of shadow, sharp as a death sentence, ripped through the fluid space around him.
The targeted eel didn't even have time to comprehend. In a breath, its massive body was severed cleanly in two, as if its armor had never existed.
The halves drifted heavily apart, black, viscous blood spilling into the condensed Shinsu, staining the divine waters a macabre crimson.
[ Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (2/5) ]
[ 4:18 ]
Baam landed on the hard scales of the eel already slain. His face remained impassive, but inside, he was boiling.
Should I have yelled out a Getsuga Tenshō? he thought, a sly grin tugging at his lips, exhilarated by the adrenaline. Nah… way too cringe.
Shouting the names of his attacks? Not only pointless—since it would just warn the enemy in advance—but unbearably embarrassing. Just thinking about it made a shiver of secondhand shame crawl up his spine.
He leapt off the bloody carcass and landed smoothly on the ground. His gaze settled on the three monsters that remained. Their swimming no longer carried the same confidence; the beasts now looked unsettled, almost hesitant. The brutal death of yet another of their kind had clearly chilled their ferocity.
Baam smirked.
"Well? You're not throwing yourselves at me anymore like beggars fighting over a loaf of bread?" he taunted, his golden eyes gleaming with cold confidence. "If you don't have the guts…"
He took a step, casual, as though strolling through a park.
"…then I'll come to you."
And suddenly, he was gone.
A gust of Shinsu tore through the air—Baam was already rushing toward his next target, the eel that had attacked him first upon entering the cage. In the blink of an eye, he was before it. The creature froze, its majesty gone, its long fins beating weakly in the dense waters.
Baam drew back his arm, the needle poised toward the beast's flank. Its tip gleamed with a sinister light.
And he struck.
SWING!
In one swift, merciless motion, the needle pierced the scaly armor. The impact was so violent that the cuirass disintegrated into glittering fragments, opening a grotesque chasm where its crushed organs spilled out.
A torrent of thick blood gushed forth, staining the waters with a crimson trail. The eel collapsed heavily, its gaping jaws letting out one last hoarse cry—more a desperate whimper than a roar—before life abandoned it.
[ Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (3/5) ]
Piercing test: validated, he thought with a satisfied smile, his gaze flicking to the black needle still glistening with blood. Clearly more efficient at penetrating than slashing… makes sense, after all: it's a needle, not a sword.
The observation amused him, but deep down, it wasn't the technique that exhilarated him. It was the raw power he wielded. The feeling of crushing colossal creatures without effort, of reducing to ashes their arrogance as dominant beasts… The intoxication of such overwhelming strength was downright addictive.
No wonder that, in fiction, those who tasted power like this always ended up drunk on domination, arrogant and selfish.
For an ordinary human, trapped by his limits only yesterday, it was an ecstasy like no other.
But he set those thoughts aside for later. There would be plenty of time to savor the feeling after this test.
[ 4:12 ]
His gaze fixed on his next prey. One was already charging at him from fifty meters away, rage incarnate. The other, more cautious, lingered near the sphere over a hundred and thirty meters off.
An idea took root. His smile widened.
His left foot dug into the ground, shattering it beneath the pressure. He pivoted his center of gravity slightly, positioning the Black March on his shoulder like a javelin ready to be hurled.
The weapon vibrated at once, protesting—as if its spirit utterly rejected being used this way. But Baam ignored the warning, tightening his grip.
Physical and Fisherman techniques: already tested… he thought, his eyes glowing with bloodlust and excitement, locked on the farthest eel. …so why not test those of a Spear Bearer?
He remembered perfectly how those throwers wielded their weapons in the webtoon. His body shifted into motion, mimicking the stance of an Olympic athlete.
Then, without hesitation, he launched it.
Whooooshhh!!
The Black March tore through the Shinsu like a black missile, leaving only a warped trail behind. The waters split in its wake, monstrous waves exploding under the pressure.
The eel didn't even have time to react.
SPLASH!
The needle pierced its skull with surgical precision, shattering its brain in a crimson rain. The beast collapsed like a broken puppet, dead on impact.
The Black March didn't stop. Unyielding, it continued its course after piercing the immense carcass.
BOOM!!
It slammed into the cage wall, raising a storm of rubble and dust. When the haze cleared, the weapon could be seen embedded in the heart of a vast crater, unscathed, without the slightest scratch…
…though its spirit still trembled from the shameless audacity of its new wielder.
[ Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (4/5) ]
[ 4:09 ]
Throwing test: validated.
Baam slowly straightened, brushing back his tousled brown hair, disheveled by the violence of his movements. His gaze shone with restrained pride. Even the last eel, poised to lunge at him moments ago, froze mid-motion, swaying left and right as if unable to believe what it had just witnessed.
But then, behind him, a furious voice broke the moment.
"HEY, KID!!"
Yuri was seething behind the bars, her brows knitted in anger.
"DO YOU THINK BLACK MARCH IS A SPEAR OR SOMETHING?!"
Had his face not been so irresistibly cute, still carrying that disarming innocence, the Irregular would have already had his ass kicked without mercy.
Baam gave a stiff smile, scratching his cheek, silently admitting he might have gone a little overboard this time. Yet already, the waves of Shinsu signaled the restless movement of the remaining eel.
The colossal mass was charging straight toward him.
Without a word, a sonic boom rang within the cage—his silhouette vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance. His body was growing accustomed to this superhuman speed, to the constant crash against the sound barrier. And at the end of that leap, he found himself before the object of the test: the sphere.
His hand rested upon it. The cold, smooth surface vibrated beneath his fingers.
So… should I destroy it now? he wondered, hesitating.
A brief silence. Then a smile curved his lips.
No. Let's finish the optional objective first… and make it count.
He pivoted on his heels, eyes locking on the last creature barreling toward him in a desperate charge, jaws gaping wide.
Baam raised his hand, fingers outstretched as if forming a gun.
Now… let's test the role of a Wave Controller.
He didn't know how to manipulate Shinsu properly. Not yet. His power was limited to a sharpened perception, a clear vision of flows and tides—a gift granted by his attribute: Shinsu Reading.
But he couldn't stop there.
Because he wasn't merely a spectator of Shinsu.
He was Shinsu. No—he was its God.
His eyelids closed. His breath stilled. He plunged into absolute focus.
He recalled Laure's words from the manhwa—the first to show Baam the essence of Shinsu:
'Imagine you're holding the world in your hands…'
Around him, everything seemed to slow. As though Shinsu itself held its breath, attentive, refusing to let anything disturb the birth of a new master.
He inhaled deeply.
At the tip of his finger, he felt the flow gather, obedient. The surrounding chaos drew back, bowing to his will.
The next instant, an space invisible appeared before him. Shinsu poured through it as if it had been waiting for this moment all along.
Then… light was born.
A blue, ethereal sphere formed at the tip of his index finger. No larger than a tennis ball, yet so dense the air vibrated and space itself warped around it.
Shinsu had answered him.
He had just created his first baang.
A baang of flawless perfection: spherical, pure, without the slightest instability. It was too easy, almost natural, as if Shinsu recognized him as its rightful master.
No surprise, in the end. The other Baam had accomplished the same feat. But where his first baang had borne flaws… this one, radiant and sharp, overflowed with a power no ordinary human could ever conceive.
It was… as if he truly held the world in his fingertips.
[4.01]
The last eel, furious, tore through the Shinsu in a frantic zigzag. But suddenly, it froze. Its instincts screamed. The monstrous cohesion his opponent had summoned was already warping the waves around them.
The breath of death hung over it, merciless.
That blinding light, condensed in the hand of this frail boy… heralded an attack of unfathomable scale.
The eel tried to bolt, but it was too late. Its fate was already sealed.
Baam opened his eyes.
His golden irises glowed with a supernatural brilliance, fiercer than ever.
Before him, the baang pulsed, gorging itself on Shinsu like an insatiable vortex. Each second magnified its power, each throb threatening to shatter the fragile balance of the surrounding world.
And when he deemed it enough…
Thanks for being my training dummies, big fish.
…he unleashed the storm.
SHOOOOOO!!
An incandescent ray burst from his finger, a torrent of light and condensed Shinsu. The unleashed power devoured everything in its path, swallowing space like an unstoppable tide.
The massive eel was struck head-on. No time to resist. Its body was engulfed, disintegrated, consumed by the raw fury of the attack.
Then came the final explosion.
BOOOOOOM!!
A bluish maelstrom erupted, tearing the cage apart in a cataclysmic detonation. The shockwave spread like a tide of chaos, transforming the enclosed arena into an ocean of devastation.
The blast rippled outward at inhuman speed, resounding like a terrifying roar of Shinsu. For miles, the world quaked beneath the impact.
The walls shattered, pulverized. The furious gale swept away everything, leaving behind only a crushing silence—an oppressive witness to the uncontrollable might of the Irregular.
Silence.
Breath caught, the Princess and the Guide remained frozen, eyes locked on the field of destruction left behind by Baam.
A strangled gasp finally broke the icy stillness.
"…Impossible…" Evan whispered, his voice choked with disbelief, his face pale.
A storm of conflicting emotions churned within him, impossible to contain.
It wasn't the blast itself that petrified him—he and his Princess had suffered no consequences, the shockwave meant nothing to them.
No… what froze his blood was the one who had unleashed such devastation.
He had imagined dozens of paths for this Irregular, conjured countless possibilities in his helplessness to predict his steps… but never had he believed he would witness such a massacre—so brutal, so utterly one-sided.
To Baam, those titanic eels had been nothing more than toys.
And yet, one haunting thought gnawed at Evan.
How… how can he manipulate so much Shinsu when he's had neither training nor the slightest initiation into this power?
Irregulars were said to be loved by Shinsu. But even that phrase felt paltry, almost insulting, before the truth.
This wasn't love of Shinsu.
It was total assimilation.
A talent so monstrous it sent a shiver coursing through the Guide's body.
A burst of laughter snapped Evan out of his daze.
He turned his head and found Yuri doubled over, a hand pressed against her stomach. Her laughter spilled out, first light, then louder, until it bordered on manic.
"Holy sh*t…!" she gasped, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, breath broken by her hysteria. "W-Wow… hahaha…! So strong… and yet such a coward at the same time… It's so absurd I'm dying of laughter!"
Even she didn't understand the reason for this outburst. Was it truly amusement, or merely an instinctive reaction to the inconceivable?
Whatever the case, she felt stupid. Stupid for underestimating this kid, even for a second. Stupid for not heeding Evan's overly cautious warnings. Stupid for ever thinking to lend him Black March, as if it would have been of any use before such a monstrosity.
She was laughing at herself—at her naivety, at her earlier worries. And yet, beneath that laughter lurked a tremor. A nervous chuckle, shaken by anticipation, by the icy thrill awakened by this overwhelming potential.
Her gaze returned to Baam's silhouette, barely visible through the thinning cloud of dust.
Soon, the Tower will be swept by a wave so colossal it cannot contain it. A wave of destruction… and I'll be there to witness it.
Then remained the last spectator.
Headon.
Lurking in the shadows, still as a statue, the Administrator observed. His strange face betrayed no emotion. But his blue eyes gleamed with a new light.
Well, well… you're quite different from what I expected, 25th Baam. His thoughts resonated within his omniscient mind, tinted with genuine curiosity.
Even he had been taken aback.
And yet, it did not irritate him—
His fissure-like mouth seemed to curve into a supernatural smile.
—it delighted him.
The veil of dust slowly dispersed, revealing the gaping crater where the cage had once been.
At its center, Baam stood nonchalantly. His index finger still smoked with a bluish glow, the lingering trace of the attack he had just unleashed. One hand in his pocket, he gazed indifferently at the ruined ground, the stone reduced to dust. Of the eels, nothing remained: erased, swept from existence by overwhelming force.
Calmly, he raised his finger, still imbued with Shinsu, its trail flickering like an obedient flame.
A faint smile brushed his lips.
"Shinsu, huh…" he murmured, drawing an idle arc through the air with his smoking finger. "This sh*t was made for me."
Wave Controller. That would be his key position, just like the original.
But unlike him, Baam fully intended to master every position… perhaps even invent one, uniquely his own.
For with such talent, the boundary between possible and impossible was already nothing but a memory.
Whooosh.
Suddenly, a projectile cut through the air, hurtling straight toward him. Without even looking, he caught it.
Black March.
A living weapon, singular among its kind, it pulsed with rage in his hand. A comical throb, almost like a vein bulging on a temple, ran along its dark blade. Clearly, it hadn't forgotten the treatment he had put it through.
"You insolent brat!" a soft, elegant voice growled in his mind, brimming with indignation. "How dare you throw me like some cheap, common spear?!"
Baam's eyes widened for a moment, feigning surprise.
"Huh? That was you speaking to me?" he asked inwardly, feigning confusion, though he knew perfectly well it could communicate telepathically.
Black March sniffed with disdain.
"Of course it was me! I'm not just some living weapon, I am one of the Thirteen Months!" She quivered furiously. "And don't change the subject! You don't treat a splendid woman like me as a javelin! I am to be cherished, respected!"
Baam stayed silent for a beat, then his smile widened, mischievous.
"My apologies, O Great Black March. Had I known you were such a charming lady, I never would have dared commit such an affront," he replied with an imaginary bow, adopting the tone of a noble charmer.
The blade's vibrations softened, almost pleased, though it still grumbled:
"Hmph. I suppose I'll forgive you this time. At least you speak better than that ogress of a mistress." Baam could almost swear he saw her roll her eyes. "But only because you're my type… and because you're cute. Otherwise, I would have struck you down on the spot!"
Baam's smile turned awkward.
Best not to push her any further, lest he end up like Goat Shibisu.
"Well then, I think I'll stay with you for a while," Black March continued, her soft voice now carrying a subtle gravity. "You are… interesting. I didn't expect such power to be hidden in a frail boy. You're far more fascinating than that vulgar princess."
Baam let out a small laugh, unsure whether to take that as a compliment.
"I assure you, my Lady, I am a young man of the finest company," he replied with a crooked smile.
He could feel the weapon calming, almost smiling.
"I hope so."
Then she fell silent, retreating back into slumber.
At the end of this strange exchange, Baam let out a weary sigh, that ironic smile still clinging to his lips.
Aaah… women, so easy to flatter.
At last, his gaze slid toward the sphere, still floating a few steps away. Despite the storm of power he had just unleashed, it remained—fractured through and through, yet intact. Dark fissures ran across its surface, pulsing like veins ready to burst.
Damn sturdy… I put more than enough tension into that, he thought, more amused than surprised. That damn rabbit really is a vicious one.
Without further ceremony, he stepped forward and struck the sphere with a casual flick of his palm.
POP!
It burst like a balloon, shattering into fragments of shadow that scattered into the waves.
Immediately, the familiar messages of the System appeared before him:
[QUEST COMPLETE]
[Quest Cleared: The Ball
—Main Objective: Destroy the ball while avoiding the Guardians (1/1)
—Optional Objective: Eliminate all White Steel Eels (5/5)
—Time Remaining: 3 minutes and 45 seconds]
Invisible confetti—unseen by anyone else but very real to him—exploded merrily around him.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing your tutorial quest within the Tower!]
[Host! Would you like to receive your main and optional rewards immediately?]
A simple nod confirmed his answer.
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a Master-ranked Skill: Orb!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received one Gacha Wish!]
The moment he read the first message, a light flared within his mind. Torrents of knowledge surged in, clear and complete, chaining together like data uploaded into a machine. In an instant, he grasped the nature of the Orb—its essence, its foundations, and how to conceptualize it through Shinsu.
He closed his eyes briefly, steadying himself. No splitting migraine, only a faint dizziness.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across his lips.
Now I have a new weapon in my arsenal. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Being an overpowered protagonist with a cheat-like System… it's almost indecent.
Truthfully, he probably could have forced the Orb into existence without this instant transmission—relying on his memories of the webtoon, his copycat talent, or his Transcendent Attribute. But it would have taken considerable time. What he had lacked until now wasn't raw power, but an understanding of the very essence of the technique.
And now, thanks to the System, he held that key.
Every problem has its solution. Maybe I'll even be able to copy my enemies' techniques instantly, as long as I see them… or even by taking their attacks head-on.
He grimaced at the thought.
…Urgh. That's right, Baam really is a damned masochist.
Shaking his head, his attention returned to the System screen—more specifically, to the rank of the newly acquired skill.
Even skills are ranked here?
Not entirely absurd in itself. In the original timeline—and likely in this one too—fighters assessed their techniques, ranking their power. But the System seemed to take it further, as if imposing a universal rule, its own inherent logic.
Baam frowned slightly. Master rank… I'm sure that term doesn't exist in the Tower as I know it. Maybe it's just a peculiarity of this alternate universe.
He shrugged. He would figure it out eventually. The System, its Gacha, its hidden functions… everything would reveal itself in time. And deep down, he burned with impatience to discover what awaited him.
But suddenly, something changed.
The fractured ground began to throb with a menacing energy. Long black tendrils burst forth, crackling like frozen lightning, snaking into the air and sprawling through the ruins of the shattered cage. The dark substance seemed to possess a will of its own, coiling around him like a starving serpent, eager to devour its prey.
The energy was thick, shadowy, almost alive.
Yet Baam didn't flinch. He remained still, unshaken in the heart of that black maelstrom, as though he had foreseen this outcome all along. No fear marked his features, only the calm certainty of a fate he had already accepted.
The same could not be said for Yuri and Evan. Caught off guard, the two spectators widened their eyes at the sight of this unexpected scene.
"Hey, newbie!" Yuri shouted, her voice ringing with panic. She stretched out a hand toward him, ready to hurl herself through the shattered remnants of the cage. "Watch out!! Get out of there, now!!"
But the boy, calm as ever, lifted his head toward them. His golden eyes gleamed amidst the shadows already closing in on him, blazing with a light that clashed violently against the oppressive darkness.
He raised a hand in a friendly wave. A warm, almost carefree smile curved his lips.
"It was cool meeting you!" he called out lightly. "I hope we'll meet again… especially you, big sis Yuri!"
And with a soundless breath, the darkness swallowed him whole. His body vanished as though he had never existed, erased in a single stroke, leaving behind only emptiness… and the frozen shock of those who had just witnessed his departure.
"Uh… am I supposed to be shocked by what just happened, or by the fact that he just called you big sis?" Evan asked, still dazed, unable to make sense of what he had just seen.
Yuri crossed her arms with an irritated pout, letting out a sigh.
"I don't know… but that kid's got guts."
Her expression hardened at once as she whipped around, eyes sparking with fury.
"Anyway! Damn rabbit! What the hell did you just do?!" she snapped at the Administrator, her voice vibrating with frustration.
Headon, unmoved, replied in a calm, almost condescending tone, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"What do you mean? I simply granted his wish. The boy has ascended."
A heavy silence fell instantly.
Yuri shot the creature a dark glare, suspicion etched into her every gesture. She knew this entity all too well—older and more enigmatic than the Tower itself—to ever lower her guard.
"Headon… what exactly are you scheming?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"My role is to evaluate those who enter the Tower," the Guardian explained curtly, turning his back to her. "I merely shape a test to match their desires… for such is the duty of the Administrators of this Tower."
He paused deliberately, letting the weight of his words sink into the stubborn mind of the Princess. Then, with cold indifference, he added:
"Shouldn't you be following him, Princess Yuri? Mr. Baam has departed with the Black March."
Yuri pressed a hand to her temple as if to stave off the headache pounding in her skull.
"Argh… you really are insufferable…" she muttered with a sigh.
Without another word, she spun on her heel, cutting the exchange short.
"Evan! We're going! Let's go find the newbie!" she ordered, striding briskly toward the passage through which they had first entered the First Floor.
"Yes, ma'am!" Evan replied, though he grumbled inwardly. He hoisted his massive pack, gave a respectful bow to Headon, and hurried after his princess.
Now alone, Headon remained still before the ruined cage, his hollow eyes fixed on nothing, as though lost in an abyss of unfathomable thought.
A deep laugh rose from his slit-like mouth, reverberating across the entire Floor, rolling along the walls like an echo from another world.
How long had it been since he had laughed like this?
How long had he believed he could no longer be surprised—he, the eternal Administrator, who ordinarily foresaw all things?
Even the Irregulars, as unpredictable as they were, never truly escaped his sight. All except for two exceptions: Phantaminum and Enryu—untouchable, veiled by the enormity of their power and the shroud of their mystery.
Only Urek Mazino bore a distant resemblance to this new Irregular. Mazino was raw force, an anomaly in flesh and blood, yes—but predictable in his excesses. This boy… this 25th Baam… was something else entirely.
Headon tilted his head slightly, his thoughts rumbling like silent thunder.
Urek Mazino is not part of this story. But this boy… he is not merely outside the story. He both belongs to it and does not… a being suspended in between…
And this strangeness stirred no rejection within him. No. It awakened a burning interest.
Mazino, for all his anomaly, still remained within a framework Headon could glimpse, predict, calculate.
But Baam?
The 25th Baam was a chasm of the unknown. His threads of fate were tied to nothing. No set path, no destiny dictated by the Tower. Nothing but pure void… and yet, this void was written into the story itself.
A paradox. A phenomenon.
And for the first time in countless millions of years, Headon's omniscience had collided with a riddle he could not solve.
His warped lips stretched into a chilling smile.
"If Urek Mazino is an Anomaly…"
His razor-like teeth gleamed in the shadows.
"…then the 25th Baam is an Aberration."
His gaze fell upon the smoking ruins of the test. A low sigh slipped from his slit.
Had he known the boy would sweep aside the trial so effortlessly, he would have unleashed Barracudas—the fiercest Shinheuh of the Tower—rather than a handful of pitiful White Steel Eels.
"Well… what's done is done."
The slit of his mouth widened further, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs. His crystalline blue eyes turned toward the unseen, piercing beyond the unknown, past time and space, to the silhouette of Baam being carried away.
A solemn, sinister whisper echoed forth:
"Welcome to the Tower of God… Son of Arlene."
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Sybau. This chapter is actually longer than the previous one. I'm glad I cut them in half, because reading 12,000 words at once is definitely not good for the mind.
Anyway, I'm currently up to date on the spin-off that SIU pumped out of us, and frankly, the story is pretty well transcribed, although the scenario is quite different.of the one when I imagined Mazino entering the Tower.
And given the power he possesses, while he only has a "Regular", makes me think if he would not really be more powerful than Zahard?
Maybe even Enyru, who knows? Although we don't know the real power of Urek, nor even that of the Red Tower.
And then, this whole story of the Shining One, makes it more difficult for me, because now I have to change my future scenario a little.
Well, if I make a mistake or do something non-canon, it's not that bad as long as it stays consistent. After all, it's still a fanfic.
As for when the next chapter will arrive? I'll either release several chapters in the same week, or next week.
Or maybe another surprise hiatus?
Anyway, I wish you all a good day (or evening). I hope you enjoyed the chapter. On that note, ciao ;)
6,622 words